Queen Elizabeth II may not have used any affectionate adjectives before Meghan Markle's name on her Instrument of Consent for Markle and Prince Harry's marriage, but the queen has shown her favour of Markle in her own subtle ways.
She allowed Markle to spend Christmas with the royal family before officially joining it in May; she let Markle's beagle Guy ride with her to the royal wedding; and now, it's been revealed she keeps a photo of Markle and Harry in her sitting room.
The picture has never been seen publicly before.
Queen Elizabeth II was hosting the Honorable George Brandis, the Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, on May 30 when the photo, revealing the framed picture of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in the background, was shot.
Markle spoke very fondly of the queen during her first BBC interview with Harry after their engagement was announced.
'It’s incredible, I think, you know, a) to be able to meet her through his lens, not just with his honor and respect for her as the monarch, but the love that he has for her as his grandmother,' she said.
'All of those layers have been so important for me, so that when I met her I had such a deep understanding and, of course, incredible respect for being able to have that time with her. And we’ve had a really—she’s an incredible woman.'
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she's not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.
